tularaemia
Noun A serious infectious disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. It primarily affects animals, especially rodents like rabbits and squirrels, but can be transmitted to humans. Transmission to humans can occur through insect bites (such as from ticks or deer flies), handling infected animal tissues, inhaling contaminated dust, or consuming contaminated food or water.
The word "tularaemia" is a medical and scientific term. It is used in formal contexts such as healthcare, veterinary medicine, public health advisories, and scientific literature. It is an uncountable noun. * Public health officials issued a warning about the risk of tularaemia in the area after several infected rabbits were found. * The hunter was diagnosed with tularaemia after skinning a rabbit without gloves. * Research focuses on improving the vaccine for tularaemia.
- As a subject of study or concern: The term is used when discussing epidemiology, zoonotic diseases (diseases transmitted from animals to humans), or biodefense due to the bacterium's potential as a biological weapon.
- Tularaemia is a reportable disease in many countries, meaning cases must be reported to health authorities.
- Tularemia: This is the more common spelling, particularly in American English. The two spellings ("tularaemia" and "tularemia") are used interchangeably, with the difference being primarily regional.
- Rabbit fever: A common, informal name for the disease, referencing a frequent source of infection.
- Deer fly fever: Another informal name, referencing a common insect vector.
- Francisella tularensis: The scientific name of the bacterium that causes the disease.
- Rabbit fever (informal)
- Deer fly fever (informal)
Note: There are no common idioms or phrasal verbs associated with this specific medical term.
- a highly infectious disease of rodents (especially rabbits and squirrels) and sometimes transmitted to humans by ticks or flies or by handling infected animals